A coroner found a ‘concerning’ lack of communication between support services after a devoted mother was stabbed to death by her mentally ill son.

Sandra Brotherton, 60, was stabbed to death at the family home in Bredbury, Stockport, after son David, who has schizophrenia and Asperger’s syndrome, became convinced she was the devil.

There had been a lack of communication between Sandra’s personal assistant (PA) Kevin Beckwith and care coordinator Gillian Wharton and no contingency plan in place for when Sandra became too ill to care for her son, coroner Joanne Kearsley told Stockport Coroner’s Court.

Sandra, who suffered from physical problems herself including asthma, osteo-arthritis and kidney stones, was hospitalised twice in the week before her death in December 2014.

Ms Wharton and the Pennine Care team were not aware Mr Beckwith was away on annual leave during this time, the inquest heard.

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Mr Brotherton’s sister, Emma Green, had been dropping food off at the house while Sandra was in hospital but there was no one to prompt him to keep up his medication.

He had taken just one sixth of his prescribed olanzapine while Sandra was in hospital.

Ms Kearsley said: “When she [Sandra] came home he was expressing agitated behaviour and killed her shortly after she returned to the house.

“I think it’s very likely he was missing his medication while Sandra was in hospital and was having very little sleep.

“He had only one out of six tablets while she was in hospital.”

Recording a verdict that Sandra had been killed by multiple stabbing, Ms Kearsley said she would be writing to Pennine Care and the local authority to express her concerns, but the issues were not enough to amount to systemic failure.

She added: “That is not to say there are not some issues that cause me some concern.

“There was certainly a lack of information sharing [between the care coordinator] and the PA, and this contact need to be robust.

“A contingency plan should have been left with Sandra.”

Mr Brotherton’s behaviour had become increasingly erratic in the months leading up to his mother’s death.